Strato's
is a musical project based in Parma that came to life in 2015 when
five young musicians in love with the music and atmospheres of the
Italian B-movies of the seventies joined their forces to play covers
taken from the soundtracks of those films and original pieces
inspired by artists such as Ennio Morricone, Franco Micalizzi, Piero
Piccioni, Bruno Nicolai, Riz Ortolani, Goblin, Osanna, Carlo
Rustichelli, Frizzi-Bixio-Tempera, Calibro 35 and others. The name of
the band refers to The Lancia Stratos, a sports car and rally car
very popular and successful in the seventies and the line up features
Leonardo Barbieri (electric and acoustic guitar), Marco Mainardi
(bass), Davide Sandrini (drums), Emanuele Nidi (electric organ,
string machine, piano), Luis Pezzoli (percussion). After a good live
activity on the local scene, in 2016 they released an interesting
debut album on Retro Vox Records entitled Lo sbirro, la liceale,
il maniaco (The cop, the
high-school girl, the maniac), a tribute to the Italian cinema
di genere of the seventies, in
particular to poliziotteschi,
sexy comedies and
thriller/horror B-movies
as suggested by the beautiful art cover by Matteo Xulli.
The
album is divided in three parts, each one with three tracks. The
first three tracks were inspired by the Italian crime films full of
action, car chases and gunfights also known as poliziotteschi.
The opener, "La Soffiata" (The leak) features some excerpts
of dialogues taken from the film Roma a mano armata (The Tough Ones) directed
by Umberto Lenzi. It starts with the call of an informer to the
police. Pulsing bass lines pump tension and adrenaline... Then the
rhythm rises swinging from frenzied funky rides to more calm,
reflective moments. The following "Western metropolitano"
(Metropolitan Western) and "Irruzione a Monteverde"
(Irruption in Monteverde) are in the same vein and you can imagine
bloody scenes and breathtaking chases through the streets of Rome or
Milan...
The
second part is dedicated to sexy comedy and the atmosphere are more
relaxed. "Apertitivo" (Appetizer) is introduced by an
excerpt from the film A tutte le auto della polizia (Calling All Police Cars), directed
in 1975 by Mario Caiano. The atmosphere is suggestive and relaxed
with a touch of mystery in the background. A short excerpt taken from
the advertisement of an Italian beer leads to the light-hearted "Un
goffo pretendente" (A clumsy pretender) featuring a lively beat
and funny melodic lines played by Luca Cristofori on kazoo.
"Rossella" (featuring the seducing vocals of the guest
Rossella Finardi) closes the trilogy dedicated to eros and
drives us to thanatos...
 |
| Strato's 2016 |
The
last part of the album is dedicated to the dark, tense atmospheres of
the Italian horror/thriller films made famous by directors such as
Dario Argento or Lucio Fulci. "Chipsiomega" is a clear
tribute to Dario Argento's film Profond Rosso (Deep Red) and to its
soundtrack by Goblin. In fact, Chipsiomega was the temporary
title of Profondo Rosso... This piece is an authentic ride through
recurrent nightmares and hidden fears and features also some excerpts
from the film Solamente Nero (The Bloodstained Shadow)
directed by Antonio Bido in 1978. The disquieting "Delirio
paranoide" (Paranoid delirium) and the melancholic closer
"Titoli di coda" (Credits) complete the scene full of
wild energy and delicate surprises.
On
the whole, a very good album that is really worth listening to.
You
can listen to the complete album HERE
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